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History of Halruaa
Halruaans are the descendants of two cultural groups. Lapal ex-slave herders Their original ethnicity comes from the Lapal (forebears of the Tashalans), a people who fledtothisregionafterescapingtheir yuan-ti masters in the jungles near the Lapal Sea. More than three millennia ago, these escaped slaves settled a sheltered valley region that sat along the southern coast of Faerûn, surrounded on three sides by high mountains and the Great Sea on the fourth. They established an uncomplicated life of farming, animal herding, and fishing. The Lapal had few cities and many monster problems, but their existence was secluded and undisturbed for over a thousand years. Netherese arrival When the empire of Netheril was shattered by the folly of Karsus and the magic of the phaerimm, a number of wizards, along with their families, servants, and extended clans, fled the northland, led by the archmage Raumark. They traveled southward by way of skyships, looking for a place where they could both hide from the phaerimm and settle into a life of magic once more. Eventually, they came upon a broad valley set between three mountain ranges that even their skyships had difficultytraversing.TheretheyfoundthesimpleLapalpeople, still farming and fishing. Within three generations, the two groups had merged into one culture. The Netherese taught the ways of magic, and the Lapal offered the secrets of using the land’s resources. In the centuries since then, the Halruaans have enjoyed a good life while preparing for invasion from elsewhere, always expecting either the phaerimm or other jealous nations to come and try to take their magic away. Nimbral colonised At one point late in the second century DR, a small faction of Leira worshipers broke from the wizards of Halruaa and relocated to the island of Nimbral. Though they are Halruaan by blood, they are a distinct culture separated from their kin by many miles of ocean. Merging of the Lapal with the Netherese The two ethnic groups embraced one another rather than fighting over such a bountiful and available land, and they quickly learned to coexist. The wizards provided the simple folk of Halruaa with an organized ruling class, laws, justice, and wondrous works. Native Lapalians with a talent for magic were accepted as students with no hesitation, and the presence of so many powerful wizards soon discouraged the raiders and monsters that had once plagued the lowlands. Modern Halruaa In the years after the arrival of the Netherese, Halruaa grew and prospered as a nation of wizards in relative isolation. But although its citizens have never shown much interest in occurrences beyond the Walls of Halruaa, the converse has not been true - Halruaa's neighbors have made numerous attempts at conquest despite the country's fabled defenses. Envious of Halruaa's riches and magical treasures, the Dambrathans have been the most frequent pests, invading Halruaa for brief periods on several occasions. Halruaans are a happy people who treat one another with exaggerated niceties, though they are suspicious of outsiders and always suspect strangers of trying to appropriate their magical secrets. They enjoy the fruits of their labors well, for the quality of life in a land filledwithwizardsishigh.Eventhebasestofcommoners might be able to perform a few simple spells. Likewise, with magic so common in the culture, most people have managed to acquire at least one or two magic items.